


Could I Have This Dance (For the Rest of My Life)?

by mlea7675



Category: The West Wing
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-16
Updated: 2020-02-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:27:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 18,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22279381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mlea7675/pseuds/mlea7675
Summary: Josh shocks everyone by proposing to Donna barely three weeks into the Santos Administration. Soon the White House is preparing for a summer wedding: bickering in-laws, White House finery, the whole nine yards. Will Josh and Donna maintain their sanity long enough to make it to their wedding day? Canon compliant through the series finale.
Relationships: Josh Lyman/Donna Moss
Comments: 9
Kudos: 38





	1. The Beginning of A New Era

**Author's Note:**

> Please enjoy my very first fanfic! This will be a multi-chapter story.

CHAPTER 1: The Beginning of a New Era (Valentine’s Day 2007)

Josh wandered into the East Wing from his Chief of Staff Office, clearly happier than he had been in a long time. It had only been about three weeks since Matt Santos was inaugurated President, but the stresses of the job were nothing new to him. Sure, the loss of Leo had cast a pall over the excitement of the election, but Josh was determined to welcome each new day of the administration with open arms. After all, there was a reason he was so happy and content with his life, and she was sitting right beyond the double doors of the First Lady’s working headquarters. Greeting her assistant Ryan with a cordial nod, he stopped in front of the door, reading the nameplate carefully: DONNA MOSS, Chief of Staff. 

Donna and Josh had only become official since their impromptu trip to Hawaii three months earlier. Since then, they had plunged headfirst into the romantic relationship they hadn’t been able to pursue in the Bartlet Administration, with Donna going so far as to move in with Josh. Despite talk of holding off on marriage, everyone in the Santos Administration who had witnessed the passion of the couple on the campaign trail was waiting with bated breath to see how long it would take either one to crack on that front. Unbeknownst to them, that day was about to come sooner-much sooner, in fact, than anyone expected. 

After checking to make sure the engagement ring he had scouted with Sam days before was securely nestled in his jacket pocket, he knocked. 

“Come in!”, was the cheerful, yet distracted reply. Josh opened the door, taking in the sight of his girlfriend typing furiously on her computer, a pencil tucked behind her ear. He grinned quietly to himself. “Hey.”, he said, gaining her attention. 

The soft smile on her face as she read grew into a full-watt grin when she saw him. “Hey, you!”, she said, getting up from her chair and giving him a quick peck on the lips. “I’ll be ready for lunch as soon I can get this memo done for Mrs. Santos.” Since the inauguration, Donna had complied with Helen Santos’ request to be on a first-name basis, though only in social situations or if the two happened to be alone in the office. 

“Take all the time you need.”, Josh said. Donna finished up quickly and grabbed her coat, sticking her head outside her office. “Ryan, Josh and I are going to lunch. I’ll be back in time for the briefing at 1.” “Of course, Ms. Moss.”, Ryan responded politely. Josh was secretly glad that since Donna had insisted on hiring the more qualified male assistant over an unqualified female assistant, that he at least treated her well. 

Half an hour later, they had finished eating their lunch in Josh’s office. Donna enjoyed eating there because it gave her a chance to say hello to all the West Wing staff, many of whom she knew from the campaign. 

“Donna”, Josh said in a nervous tone. Donna’s head shot up. He scarcely ever talked to her this seriously. He reached out across the desk and took both of her hands in his. “I love you.”, he said simply. Donna was suddenly more nervous than ever. Was he trying to break up with her? Maybe it hadn’t been a good idea to move in together so soon into the relationship. Maybe-

“And,” Josh continued, “I think that since we’re beginning a new journey with the Administration, I think this could be the beginning of a whole new era for us.”

“Josh..”, Donna trailed off, her voice soft and tender. 

Josh had come over to the other side of his desk now. He knelt down on one knee and in one smooth move took out the velvet black box and opened to reveal a diamond and sapphire engagement ring. “Donnatella Moss, I’ve loved you from the moment you first stepped into campaign headquarters 10 years ago. I can’t think of anybody I would rather spend the rest of my life with. Will you do me the incredible honor of becoming my wife?” 

Tears were already threatening to unspool down her cheeks. She opened her mouth but could only release a choked-back sob. After a tense few seconds, she swallowed. 

“Yes.” 

The answer came out so softly and delicately that Josh almost didn’t hear her. 

“Y-yes? You said yes?” 

“Yes, of course I’ll marry you!” 

“Oh, Donna!”, Josh breathed out, so excited he could barely talk. He stood up, pulled Donna up from her chair and kissed her deeply. 

He then flung open his door. “Margaret, clear my schedule for tomorrow!” Margaret nodded and gave the couple a broad smile, a rarity for her-Josh’s excitement was not only palpable, but contagious. “I heard everything. Congratulations!” 

Josh rushed out to his old office. He knew he would have to tell the rest of the Senior Staff eventually, but there was one person he had to tell first. 

Sam looked up expectantly as Josh rapped on his door. “Well?”, he said. Not that he needed to ask-the broad dimpled grin on Josh’s face told him everything he needed to know. 

“She said yes!!”, Josh practically shouted. He wanted to shout it from the rooftops. He and Donna, after 9 years, were finally getting it right.


	2. Telling the Parents and The First Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading the first chapter of my first-ever fanfic! Now for the second chapter! Please read and review!

CHAPTER 2: Telling The Parents and the First Couple 

After spending the remainder of their lunch hour celebrating their engagement, Donna and Josh decided to call their parents and tell them the news, resolving to tell the Santos’ that night when they went to the Residence for dinner after the President and First Lady had returned from a “goodwill tour” across the Southwest. Josh and Donna would’ve gone, but in the President’s words, “Someone has to mind the store.” They had agreed to take Annabeth and Bram with them, so at least they weren’t alone. 

Josh tapped out his mother’s number for her condo in Florida while Donna watched anxiously. Not that she was worried about how Josh’s mother would take it-Rachel Lyman had been nothing if not adoring to the young woman her son had taken on as an assistant. In fact, she had championed the relationship when they made it official three months prior. Donna was far more concerned with the reaction she would receive from her parents. 

“Hello?”, Rachel’s lilting voice sounded through the speakerphone. 

“Hi, Mom.” Josh said. 

“Joshua! What a nice surprise to hear from you. I feel honored that my busy son took time out of his schedule to call his old mother.”, Rachel quipped, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Sorry, it’s been a while. But Donna and I have some exciting news.”

“Hi, Mrs. Lyman.”, Donna piped in. 

“Hello, Donna! Are you keeping that son of mine grounded?” 

“She sure is, Ma.”, Josh interjected. “Do you mind waiting a minute while I get Donna’s parents on the other line?” They had decided to call both sets of parents on the three-way line so they only had to share their news once. 

Rachel replied, “My, this must be big.” There was a gasp through the phone line. “Are you two finally getting married?” 

“Just a second, Mom.”, Josh said. He punched a couple of buttons, and the conference call line was connected to the Moss family home in Madison. 

There was an immediate pickup. “Hello, Roberta Moss.”, said a pleasant-sounding voice. 

“Hi, Mom, it’s me.”, Donna called out through the phone. 

“Donna! You almost never call on a weekday. Is everything all right?” Donna smiled. Everything couldn’t be better. “Everything’s fine. I’m on the phone in Josh’s office, we have something to tell you. Is Dad in?” 

“Yes, he just walked in. Daniel! Donna’s on the phone!”

There was a pause, then a male voice came crackling through. “Hi, sweetheart!” 

“Hi, Dad!”, Donna said cheerfully. She had always had a much better relationship with her father than with her mother-a daddy’s girl through and through. 

“How are things going? Keeping the First Lady on her toes?”

“Dad, things couldn’t be better.”

“Joshua, Donna,” Rachel interrupted, “Are you going to tell us what’s going on?” Yikes! They had almost forgotten their reason for calling. 

“Actually, Mom, Mr. and Mrs. Moss,” Josh spoke in a more formal voice, “we were calling to let you know that Donna and I are engaged to be married!” 

Before the Mosses could say a word, Rachel let out a delighted squeal. “Oh, I knew it, I absolutely knew it! Mazel tov!” 

“Thank you!”, they both said. They grinned widely-until they realized that Donna’s parents had not said a word. 

“Mom? Dad?”, Donna said. “What do you think?” 

Donna’s dad was the first to break the silence. “Congratulations! That’s just wonderful! I always knew Josh was a fine young man for you to stay with him for so long.” 

“Dad!”, Donna blushed. 

“In all seriousness, congratulations to the both of you.”, Daniel said, his voice full of pride for his only daughter. “Roberta?” 

“I am happy for you-I am.”, Roberta finally managed to get out. “But don’t you think you’re rushing things? You’ve only been with him three months!” 

“We’ve known each other for ten years, Mom.” Donna bit her lip. Her mother never could get over the fact that Josh was her boss first. 

“Well, I guess you’re right. In fact, I should’ve seen it from the beginning-after all, a man doesn’t fly halfway around the world to be with a woman he sees as just his assistant.” Roberta still marveled over what had happened after the car explosion in Gaza, how Josh had dropped everything to take care of her.

It was sweet, but Donna knew deep down it was her mother’s way of being condescending towards her relationship with Josh.

“Anyway,” Roberta’s voice brightened. “I guess now I have a wedding to plan! You should have it here in Wisconsin! I’m sure Father Anthony can perform the service.”

At the same time, Rachel’s voice cut through, “Joshua, I know a rabbi right here in Palm Beach who owes me a couple of favors. I bet I can get you into any synagogue in the city!” 

“A Jewish wedding?’, Roberta said, probably reeling in shock. 

Donna’s head went into her hands. Did her mother conveniently forget that Josh had different beliefs than her?

Luckily, Josh saved the day by saying, “Mom, Mrs. Moss, we’re not getting married tomorrow. There’s plenty of time to decide what sort of wedding we should have.” He brought Donna’s head up to meet his eyes and pressed his lips to hers. She smiled gratefully. 

“Well, I suppose you’re right”, Roberta said.   
“That’s very true, Joshua.”, Rachel admitted at the same time. “Well, we should let you get back to work. Now, you call me the minute you set a date!”

“Yes, Mom.”, Josh said. “Mr. and Mrs. Moss, I’ll call you too.” 

All three murmured in consensus. 

“Bye, guys!”, Donna said, as cheerfully as she could. 

“Bye, Donna.”, her parents said, and that line was disconnected. 

“Well, I’ll talk to you later. I have so many calls to make!”, Rachel said and hung up. Now it was Josh’s turn to put his head in his hands. Was his mother going to invite her entire senior living community? He looked at Donna. “Parents.”, they both said simultaneously. 

...

In sharp contrast to the reaction they received on the phone that afternoon, their news was greeted enthusiastically in the Residence. When the couple arrived for dinner, they sat around talking about the First Couple’s goodwill tour. 

Midway through the conversation, Donna picked up her wine glass-and her diamond ring caught the glint of the glass. Helen let out a loud gasp, and almost without warning grabbed Donna’s hand, nearly causing her to spill her drink.

“Donna!”, Helen exclaimed. “You two are engaged?” 

Josh looked sheepish. “We were going to wait until dinner to share the news, but yes, this afternoon, I asked Donna to marry me, and she said yes.” 

The President let out a whoop, his inner Texan shining through, and pumped Josh’s hand before pulling him into a bear hug. Helen let out a little shriek, and pulled Donna into a hug. 6 year old Miranda squealed with excitement, jumping up and down, while 11 year old Peter’s head jerked up from his book in all the excitement. 

“Can I be the flower girl, Ms. Moss?”, Miranda said. 

“We’ll see”, Helen replied, smoothing back her daughter’s hair to tone down her excitement. Donna had never talked much about her family, so for all Helen knew, Donna had another young relative that could serve as flower girl.

“Oh, what I am doing?”, Helen said with a start. “We have to start planning this thing! Matt, get a pad of paper. Donna, start thinking about locations. I am going to help you come up with the wedding of your dreams!”


	3. Every Great Journey Begins With a Single Step

CHAPTER 3: Every Great Journey Begins With a Single Step

“Now”, Helen said to Donna, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Have you thought about location at all?” 

Donna’s eyes grew wide, and her lips parted in surprise. “No, we hadn’t.”, she said. She and Josh had been too busy fighting off their mothers’ ideas to think about what they wanted. 

“My mother wants us to have a Jewish wedding in Palm Beach, and her mother wants us to have a Christian church wedding in Wisconsin.”, Josh supplied. 

“Have you thought about an interfaith service?”, the President asked. “You know, have a priest and a rabbi?” 

“It’s a thought.”, Josh said. “But we want to have a wedding that’s our own, not some envisioning of what our parents want it to be.” He looked to Donna, who quickly nodded. 

“I think we’re going to have enough of a religion fight on our hands when we have kids, so maybe for our wedding, we should just check religion at the door.”, Donna spoke up. She thought back to her mother’s vocal dismay when Rachel even suggested having a Jewish wedding. 

“Donna’s right.”, Josh agreed. “We should do something simple: non-denominational, justice of the peace, somewhere here in DC.”

Helen’s head snapped up. “If you’re going to have it in DC, why don’t you just have it here at the White House?” 

“The White House?”, Josh and Donna spoke simultaneously. 

“Why not?”, Helen had gone into full First Lady event-planning mode. “We could have it in one of the ballrooms. There are a lot of them that aren’t being used. Flowers, candles, music-it could be really nice! I could put one of the White House decorators in charge of the arrangements. What do you think?” 

Meanwhile, the President was scribbling all his wife’s ideas down on a notepad. He was used to the spinning of her mind when it came to events like this. He just hoped it wasn’t too much for the young couple, who now looked deep in thought. 

Donna chewed over it. It could be a really nice wedding. And it would be fitting to have it in the place where she and Josh had spent most of their professional lives, instead of having it in Florida or Wisconsin and forcing all of their friends and family to fly elsewhere when most of them lived in the area anyway. 

“I think we should have it here.”, Donna said slowly. 

Josh looked up at her. Was she crazy? Did she know how much grief they would have to go through for a White House state wedding, the people they would have to invite? The last White House wedding had been Ellie Bartlet’s. Just remembering the chaos of that wedding made Josh’s stomach hurt. He was sure his blood pressure was skyrocketing. 

“I know you think it’s crazy.”, Donna spoke quickly, seeing the look on Josh’s face. “But it might be the best thing for security, especially if we want to have Matt and Helen there, not to mention the Bartlets. It doesn’t have to be extravagant, just nice and tasteful.”

“Absolutely!”, Helen interjected. “Obviously, there are some people we may have to invite for diplomatic reasons, but otherwise we can keep it as small or as big as you want.”

Helen and Donna’s reassurance made Josh feel better about the idea. He then felt compelled to speak up again. “I’d like to invite President Bartlet to perform the ceremony, if that’s all right. And I think we should cap the guest list off at under 500.” 

Donna’s smile brightened. “He would be honored to do that for us. And we’ll definitely cap at under 500. Even that I think is too much.”

Josh nodded, his smile returning. He was glad they were on the same page. 

“Now, for the most important question. When would you like to get married?”, Helen asked. 

Josh and Donna looked at each other. There was only one preference they had on dates. 

“We’d like to do it as soon as possible, but preferably after the first 100 days.”, Josh said. 

“Understandable.”, the President said sagely. “How about June-Father’s Day weekend?” 

“That actually works, Mr. President.”, Josh said enthusiastically. He looked at Donna and she said, “That sounds perfect!” It would be just past the first 100 days, while still giving them plenty of time to plan the perfect wedding. 

“And now,” Josh said, looking a little more serious. “We’d have something we’d like to ask you.” 

Both the President and Mrs. Santos sat up a little bit straighter. 

“Helen, I know this is going to seem forward, but I’d like to ask if you’d consider being my matron of honor.”, Donna asked hopefully. 

“And Matt,” Josh said, realizing as he spoke that it was the first time he had called the President by his first name since before the inauguration. “I’ve already promised Sam he could be my best man, but would you consider being one of my groomsmen?”

Both the Santos’ were silent. Finally, Helen spoke up. “Wow..well, as your boss, I’d have to agree that it is a bit forward.”

Donna’s heart sunk. 

“But,” Helen continued. “As a friend, I would be honored to be your matron of honor.” 

Donna’s eyes lit up. “Really?” Helen nodded, grinning broadly. 

“And Josh,” the President said, having the same wide grin as his wife, “I’d be thrilled to stand up for you, mi compadre.” 

“Well, all that’s settled.”, Josh said happily. “And now, I think it’s time for my beautiful fiancée and I to go home and get some sleep.” They said goodbye, and Josh and Donna headed home in the towncar with the Secret Service agent assigned to Josh. 

....

Later, when Josh and Donna were in bed, Donna smiled up at Josh and said, “You know, earlier tonight at the Residence, that was the first time you called me your fiancée.” 

“I‘m going to love calling you that.”, Josh said, stroking her hair. 

“And I love hearing it.”, Donna replied. She paused. “Josh?” 

“Yeah?” 

“There’s still so much to do.”

But Josh wrapped his arms around Donna and said, “Let’s worry about it tomorrow, or the next day, or next week. We have a date and a location. That’s the important part.” 

Donna smiled and nodded, sinking further into Josh’s embrace. “Four months until I’m married to the love of my life.”, she thought, drifting off into a glorious night’s sleep.


	4. The Office Pool

A few days after their engagement, and whirlwind planning meeting with Helen, Josh and Donna decided it was time to let the rest of their makeshift family in on their secret, namely the Bartlets, CJ, Toby, and the Senior Staff. 

The phone rang in the Bartlets’ Manchester residence, as Josh and Donna sat in their apartment holding out the Speakerphone. 

Finally, there was a click, and a female voice was heard, “Bartlet residence. This is Abbey Bartlet.” 

“Hi, Dr. Bartlet.”, they both said. 

“Well, hello, Josh, Donna! How are you?”, Abbey said brightly. “Hold on, let me get Jed. I know he would want to say hi. Jed!” she yelled, holding the phone away from her mouth. 

There was a pause and a scuffle, then Jed Bartlet’s unmistakable baritone came over the phone. “Well, well, well! If it isn’t the Chiefs of Staff!” Jed had always been proud of how both of them had grown in their careers and were now second-in-command to the two most powerful people in the country. 

“President Bartlet, Dr. Bartlet,” Josh said. “How would you two like to come to a wedding this summer?” 

Abbey let out an excited shriek, “Are you two finally getting married?” 

Josh looked to Donna. “We’re engaged!”, the two said together. 

“Oh, that’s wonderful!”, Abbey exclaimed. 

“Josh, I am so happy for the two of you.”, Jed said sincerely. 

“And sir,” Donna said. “We would be honored if you would come down to the White House and perform the ceremony.” 

There was silence. Then Jed said, “Donna, Josh, the pleasure and honor would be all mine.” 

“That’s great!”, Josh replied. 

“So, when’s the wedding?”, Abbey asked eagerly. “And where?” 

“It’ll be June 16, at the White House.”, Josh explained. 

“Oh, that’ll be lovely.”, Abbey gushed. “Have you decided where in the White House?” 

“The East Wing, probably one of the ballrooms.” 

“Well, if you need any help, be sure to let me know. I can be the wedding coordinator.”

“Well-”, Josh started, but Donna cut in. “That would be great!” 

Josh covered the phone with his hand. “Are you sure?” 

“Why not?”, Donna said. “We need someone to run interference with our moms.”

Josh grinned. His fiancée sure did have a good mind. 

He got back on the phone. “Dr. Bartlet, you still there?” 

“Yes.”, Abbey said. 

“We would be delighted if you helped coordinate the wedding.” 

“Wonderful!”, Abbey exclaimed. 

“Well, we have to make some other calls.”, Donna started. 

“Of course, of course! Go spread the news!”, Abbey said. 

“See you all in June!”, Jed managed to yell through the phone before Abbey hung up. 

… 

Their phone calls with C.J. and Toby went basically the same way. C.J. squealed in delight, before yelling at Josh that it was “about time you got your act together”. Toby’s reaction was a bit more subdued, though he was genuinely excited for the couple, offering congratulations, and saying he could probably attend the wedding. Donna told him that she was planning on asking the Ziegler twins to serve as flower girl and ring bearer, respectively, and he was thrilled. Josh and Donna both knew that political relations would be chilly if Toby attended the wedding, but they were willing to put that aside for their big day if he was. 

Now, for the exciting part: telling the Senior Staff. Donna and Josh had agreed to slip in the news at the end of the next Senior Staff meeting. 

Everyone had given their briefings, and were just getting to leave Josh’s office when Josh said, “Actually, could I have everyone’s attention, please? I-actually, Donna and I- have an announcement to make.” 

At the words “Donna and I”, everyone whirled around. Eyes shot up and ears perked up. 

“We wanted to make the announcement that we are getting married this summer!” 

The Senior Staff cheered and gasped. Sam and Bram clapped Josh on the back. Annabeth and Lou shrieked and pulled Donna into a hug. There were cries of, “It’s about time!”, and “What took you so long?” 

“So, where are you getting married?”Annabeth said when they had all calmed down. 

“Here at the White House, in June.”, Donna answered. She could see the wheels of Annabeth’s PR mind turning. 

“Then I guess we have some shopping to do!”, Annabeth said excitedly. Donna let out a small sigh of relief. The one thing Josh and her had agreed upon was that they wanted their wedding to have as little publicity as possible. The last thing they needed was the pressure of a wedding of the century. 

“Wait,” Bram said to the rest of the Senior Staff. “So, who won?” Everyone stole glances at each other and bolted from the room. 

“Won what?”, Josh said, genuinely confused. “Where’s everybody going?” 

Josh and Donna ran out to the bullpen, where the entire Senior Staff was crowded at Bram’s desk in CJ’s former office. As they reached it, a mix of cheers and groans went up. 

“Alright, Lou, there’s $200 for you.”, Bram said, slapping a large amount of dollar bills into the Communication Director’s waiting hand. 

“And my other bet?”, Lou said to Annabeth. 

Annabeth shrugged. “I don’t know. Josh, how long have you been engaged?” 

“Since Valentine’s Day”, Josh said slowly. “Wait, you guys were gambling on our relationship?!”

Before Bram could say anything, Annabeth groaned and reached into her wallet, and slapped an additional $200 into her hand. 

“Okay, what was that?”, Donna asked, perplexed. 

“I have no idea.”, Josh said. He whistled loudly and yelled, “HEY!” The bullpen quieted down. 

“You want to tell me how long this has been going on exactly?” 

“Since the campaign trail.”, Annabeth blurted out. 

“You’ve been betting since the campaign trail?”, Josh asked incredulously. 

“You see, Josh,” Bram explained. “Everyone could see the passion between the two of you, and we knew it wouldn’t be long before you broke down and proposed. So we made it interesting and started a pool.” 

“And..was everyone in on this?”, Donna asked. 

“Yeah, me, Lou, Edie, Annabeth, everyone. Heck, even Leo chipped in a couple of dollars. He had you pegged to propose on Christmas.”

“Leo?”, Josh said, his eyes watering. 

“Are you kidding?”, Annabeth said, her voice softer than before. “He knew as soon as Donna came to work on the campaign that it wouldn’t be long before you came to your senses.” 

Josh could feel tears welling up as Annabeth talked. Leo was always a softie at heart, especially when it came to romance. Donna gently squeezed his arm to comfort him. The whole room went silent for a minute, remembering the great man gone too soon. 

Donna asked, “So, Annabeth, what was that between you and Lou?”

“Oh, that.”, Annabeth said, embarrassed. “Lou and I had our own private bet-double or nothing that Josh would propose on Valentine’s Day.”

“Yeah, because you said that Josh was a, what was it, a ‘hopeless romantic’!”, Lou shot back. 

That broke up the whole room, including Josh, who had allowed his sudden outburst of emotion about Leo to subside. 

“Alright, that’s it. Everyone back to work!”, Josh yelled. Everyone stayed for a few seconds, then broke up, everyone scurrying back to their office. Josh caught Donna by the arm. “See you later?” 

“Yeah.”, Donna said, sweetly kissing him goodbye. As she turned to go back to the East Wing, Annabeth caught up with her and started talking about wedding color schemes. Josh chuckled, then went into the Oval Office to brief the President. 

As Josh walked in, the President looked up. “So who won the office pool?” 

Josh stopped in his tracks. “You knew about that?” 

“Knew about it? I had 50 bucks that you would be engaged by Christmas.” 

“Yeah, you and Leo were on the same wavelength.” Josh smiled, then went into “office mode”: “So Mr. President, you have an intelligence briefing at 10. Things in Kazakhstan are stable, but we may need to add more movement…”


	5. Battle of the Mothers

CHAPTER 5: Battle of the Mothers (March 2007)

It had been about three weeks since the announcement of their engagement, and the excitement over the upcoming nuptials with the White House staff had dulled to a small roar. Until today. 

When Josh walked into his office in the West Wing, he ran into Margaret right away, who had a strained smile on her face. 

Josh recognized the look right away: one of pure sympathy. 

“You have a visitor.”, Margaret said. 

“Who is it?”, Josh asked slowly. 

Before Margaret could respond, Abbey Bartlet walked out of the Chief of Staff’s office. “Hello, Josh.” 

“Dr. Bartlet! What-what are you doing here?” 

“Well, I’m here to help you start planning the wedding, of course.”, Abbey said with a laugh. “When I hadn’t heard from you and Donna, I thought that as wedding coordinator, I would take the liberty of getting things started so you wouldn’t be overwhelmed.” 

Josh felt slightly relieved. Maybe he and Donna could actually get this planned without any help from anyone except Dr. Bartlet. He smiled and said, “As a matter of fact, there are a couple of things we were thinking about that we could use your help with, but can it wait until after we’ve started the workday?” 

“Oh, of course!”, Abbey said. “I remember how busy things are around here. I’ll just be over in the East Wing, taking note of a couple of locations.” 

With that, she left, and Josh went back to work. When the guys came in for Senior Staff, Sam asked, “What in the name of Cupid is Abbey Bartlet doing here?”

“Wedding planning.”, Josh said, and that was all Sam needed to hear. 

…

Josh was midway through the stack of work he needed to complete before lunch when his pager went off. Huh, that’s weird, he thought. He looked at his pager and it said: 

From Donna: Come down to the lobby, and hurry. 

That was all he needed to read. He bolted out of his office. “Margaret, I’ll be back.”, he said. Margaret nodded. Josh’s mind was racing. Was Donna sick? Hurt? 

He found her in the lobby waiting for him. He looked her up and down. Other than the look of upset in her eyes, she was fine.

“Are you OK? You paged me 911, what’s going on?”

She didn’t say anything, just gestured to the security desk. He followed her gaze and saw the source of her stress. There, getting visitors’ passes at the desk were Rachel Lyman and Roberta Moss. 

“Oh, God.”, he said. “Honey, just stay here, okay? I’ll handle this.” 

She nodded. “The only reason I paged you was because they said they needed you to check your mom in.” 

The mere idea that Donna was willing to take the brunt of their mothers’ meddling ways so that he could work was admiring. 

Josh kissed her forehead, and was at the security desk in two strides. 

“Ma!”, he put on a smile. 

Rachel’s face brightened. “Joshua!” She kissed both his cheeks. 

Roberta gave a small smile. “Hello, Josh.”, she said shyly. She had only met him once or twice, and never in the best of circumstances. The last time she had seen him in person, her daughter had been lying comatose in an ICU bed in Germany. 

“Mrs. Moss.”, Josh nodded. “I’ll sign for her.”, Josh turned to the security guard, referring to his mom. 

A couple of minutes later, he was leading both women and Donna out of the lobby area and into the West Wing. As soon as the four of them were in a private area, he said, “Now, don’t take this the wrong way, but what are you two doing here?” 

“Helping with the wedding, of course!”, Rachel said brightly. 

“It was her idea.”, Roberta volunteered. 

Josh shot a glance over at Donna. The look of discomfort on her face was troubling. He knew how tense her relationship with her mother was. 

“Ladies, how about this?”, he said. “It’s almost time for my lunch break anyway. How about we go down to the Mess and get something to eat, and then I’ll take you guys to the East Wing and see where we’re considering having the wedding.” 

As if on cue, Abbey walked up. “Well, hello! I see you have visitors!” 

Josh smiled, “Yes. Abigail Bartlet, our mothers, Rachel Lyman and Roberta Moss.” 

The women exchanged pleasantries, then Josh said, “Dr. Bartlet, why don’t you take them down to the Mess so we can get some lunch. Donna and I will be there in a second.” 

Abbey nodded. She was nothing if not gracious. “Certainly, Josh. Ladies.” 

As soon as the women were out of earshot, Josh turned to Donna, “Are you OK?”

“I never in a million years expected them to just show up, Josh.”, Donna said quietly. 

“I know, I know. Look, we’ll show them the room, give them details on what they want details on, and they’ll be on a plane tomorrow. I’ll make sure of it.” 

Donna nodded slowly, “All right. But Josh, if our mothers get into it, and then Abbey, and then God forbid, Mrs. Santos gets involved, it’ll be a wonder if we get to plan any of our own wedding.” 

Josh tilted her chin so she could look at him. “Hey, look at me, okay? It’s going to be fine. Now let’s get down to the Mess before they wonder what happened to us.” 

…

Lunch started off pleasantly enough, with Roberta filling Donna in on what all their relatives in Madison were doing, and Rachel updating Josh on how many of her friends in Palm Beach were having grandkids. Josh did not miss the subtle dig at Josh that they weren’t getting any younger. Both he and Donna did want a family, but in the meantime, they wanted everyone who asked them when they were going to settle down and have kids already to shut up. 

Then, the chatter quickly-and inevitably-turned to the wedding. 

Rachel minced no words. “So, Joshua, have you found a good rabbi yet?”

Josh cleared his throat and said, “Well, Mom, Donna and I decided to have a non-denominational service.” 

“What does that mean?”, both women asked. 

“It means it won’t be Jewish, but it won’t be Christian, either.” 

“Well, I’ve never heard of such a thing!”, Rachel said. “You mean you’re not gonna be religious at all?” 

“We didn’t say that, Mrs. Lyman.”, Donna interjected. “We just don’t want to make a big deal out of it.” 

“There’s nothing wrong with a simple church service.”, Roberta stated. 

“We want this to be our wedding, our day.”, Josh said, trying hard to stay calm. 

Both women murmured in agreement. And that was it for the wedding talk, until they finished lunch and went to the East Ballroom, which Josh and Donna had recently selected as the place where they would hold their wedding. 

“Oh, this is gorgeous!”, Rachel exclaimed, taking in the cavernous space. 

“Very charming.”, Roberta agreed. 

“Now, it has room for about 300 guests, a grand piano, and an altar.”, Abbey narrated. “And we can have the reception in the East Room, if you’d like.” 

“All due respect, ma’am, but does it all have to be in the White House?”, Josh asked. He and Donna had been toying with the idea of renting a banquet hall so that they could have a real wedding reception. The Secret Service, in fact, had already picked one to reserve for the wedding day. 

“I suppose not, but don’t you want to make this uncomplicated?”, Abbey said pointedly. 

“We do,” Donna said as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “But we also want to be able to pick out our own location.” 

“What Donna’s trying to say,” Josh said, jumping in. “is that the East Room is really more for formal functions. We want a reception that’s less formal, where we can really celebrate with our friends.” 

“I think that sounds more than fair.”, said a voice from behind them. They all turned around to find Helen Santos. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I heard what was going on and I thought I could help.” 

“Yes, thank you, Mrs. Santos.”, Donna smiled gratefully. 

“Well,” Roberta said. “I think this room is perfect for a wedding. Not too big, not too cramped.” 

Helen nodded. “I agree. Now about the guest list-I narrowed down the lists you gave me to about 275.” 

“Okay, that sounds reasonable.”, Josh said. 

“Can I invite people, Joshua?”, Rachel asked. 

“As long as they’re approved by the White House, Mom.”, Josh explained. 

“That’s sensible.”, Roberta said. “In case your friends are loud and raucous.”

Josh and Donna gasped. Rachel spun around. “What did you say?” 

“Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”, Roberta muttered. 

“You did too.”, Rachel said, stepping forward. 

Abbey stepped in. “Ladies, please. Can we all be civil?” 

“I suppose.”, Rachel said. Her face brightened. “Now about the decorations…”

“Actually, I was thinking…”, Roberta said. 

“Well, we really ought to…”, Abbey continued. 

“Has anyone asked Josh and Donna what they want?”, countered Helen. 

But no one heard. Everyone was too busy arguing about flowers, food, decorations, and who knows what else. 

Josh turned to Donna. “Is it too late to elope?”, he muttered.


	6. The Resolution

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you to everyone who has been following my story! Now, the way they choose to resolve this issue may seem a tad OOC, but it’s the way I’m choosing to propel the story forward.

CHAPTER 6: The Resolution

Donna and Josh walked into their apartment that evening feeling dejected. After the first bump in the road that afternoon, things hadn’t improved. Roberta kept insisting that Donna was “throwing away her heritage” by not wanting to get married in a church. Rachel kept trying to take control of the reception, Abbey wanted to make sure she could coordinate the wedding party, even though Josh and Donna didn’t really have one yet, and Helen kept trying to cut in, only to be shut out. 

Finally, Josh called a truce. He told them that they didn’t see any reason why everyone needed to be fighting over something happy and he ordered all the women to go back to their hotels and sleep on it. 

Donna dropped down onto the couch, her shoulders slumped in exhaustion. Josh’s heart broke for her. Here they were, it was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives, and it was quickly turning into a disaster. He put on some soup for their dinner, then grabbed his laptop and went to sit next to Donna on the couch. He pulled out his laptop and started looking at wedding chapels nearby. 

Donna peered over his shoulders, “Wedding chapels in Atlantic City? Oh my God, you were serious about eloping, weren’t you?” 

Josh’s head snapped up. “I was thinking about it.”, he admitted. He turned to Donna. “Look, I want this to be a memorable day for the both of us. If you actually want the big White House ceremony and all the pomp and circumstance, then that’s one thing. But if this isn’t something you want, just say the word and we can go down to the DC circuit courts right now.” 

Donna looked lost in thought. Then she sat up straighter and turned Josh’s head so he was looking at her. “All I want,” she said, “is to be married to you, in front of the people we love most.”

“So you want the big wedding?”, Josh asked. He wasn’t questioning her, just making sure of what she was saying. 

“Maybe,” Donna admitted. “But mostly, I think a lot of people would kill us if we eloped now. They’d feel like we were robbing them of a wedding ten years in the making. I already told Helen I wanted her to be my matron of honor. Miranda has her heart set on being a flower girl. Everyone’s going to come to watch us get married, and then what, we pull the rug out from them and say we already get married?” 

Josh inwardly groaned. He knew Donna was right. “We don’t have to say we got married, though.”, Josh protested. 

“Josh..”, Donna said. She set her hand on top of his. 

“You want this, don’t you.”, Josh said. It was a statement, not a question. 

“Yeah, I do.”, she admitted. 

Josh kissed her hand, which was still entwined in his. “Then we’ll make it work. I guess I got so caught up in the chaos of it all that I forgot why we were doing this in the first place. I kind of freaked out, I’m sorry.” 

Donna leaned over and kissed him, “It’s OK. You actually had me convinced there for a second.” She smiled. “Now, what about our moms?” 

Josh groaned. 

“Come on, Josh! It really isn’t just about the wedding, either. There’s going to be all kinds of events in our lives that they’re going to be together for. There has to be some kind of middle ground.” 

Josh nodded. As usual, Donna was right on the button. 

“Maybe we should sleep on it.”, he said. “Come on, let’s go to bed. It’s been a long day.” 

Later that night, Josh was lying in bed thinking about what Donna said. It was true, he didn’t really want to rob their friends and families of the chance to see them get married. But, the question was how he could get all the people so invested in their wedding to get along-and still come out with an end product that matched what both he and Donna wanted. He started thinking about all the different aspects of the wedding that the women had fighting over-food, flowers, invitations, guest lists, music…

Suddenly, Josh sat up. There it was, the perfect solution, staring him right in the face. 

“Josh?”, Donna stirred and sat up. “Are you okay? What’s going on?” 

He turned to her. “Donna, I have an idea…” 

....

The next morning, Josh and Donna were sitting in a coffee shop, waiting for their moms and Abbey to join them for breakfast. Donna thought about Josh’s idea-it could really work, if everyone was onboard. After all, Helen had been when they called her about it earlier. 

“Good morning, dears!”, Rachel said brightly as she and Roberta walked toward their table. Josh was a little bit surprised that they had shown up together. So was Donna, by the look on her face. 

As they sat down, it was clear that the frosty atmosphere of the previous day had begun to thaw. 

“Donna, Josh,” Roberta began. “Rachel and I both wanted to apologize for our behavior yesterday. This is supposed to be your day, not ours, and I guess we got a little carried away.” 

Josh and Donna looked at each other. Could it really be this simple? 

“Roberta and I spent a lot of time talking at the hotel last night.”, Rachel explained. “And we realized that this should be about you two. So, whatever you want us to do is all right with us.”

“Wow. Thanks, Mom.”, Josh said. 

“Thank you, Mrs. Lyman.”, Donna agreed. 

“Now, Donna,” Rachel said, “now might be a good time for you to start calling me Rachel, don’t you think?” 

“Of course, Mrs.-Rachel.”, Donna tried out. 

“There, now that’s more like it!”, Rachel said. 

“Hello, everyone!” Everyone turned to see Abbey Bartlet approaching trailed by the Secret Service. 

“Hello again.”, both Rachel and Roberta said. They started to rise, as did Donna and Josh. 

“No, no, don’t get up.”, Abbey said with a wave of her hand. They all sat down. 

Once they were all seated, a waitress appeared. “Can I get you all some coffee?” 

All five said almost at once, “Yeah, that sounds good.” 

“So,” Abbey started after they had been served. “Why did you ask to meet us all here?” 

“Well,” Josh said. “We have a proposal that we think it will iron out all the kinks in the wedding planning.” 

“We want each of you to have a certain aspect of the wedding to plan and execute yourselves.”, Donna explained. 

“Meaning..?”, Rachel asked, clearly confused. 

“Meaning, Mom”, Josh took over. “That you could pick everything related to that category, as long as you run it by Donna or me.” 

“We’ve already talked to Mrs. Santos about the idea, and she’s thrilled about it.”, Donna said. 

“Well, what would you have us do?”, Abbey asked. 

“I’m glad you asked.”, Josh said. He took out the pieces of paper that he had been scribbling on since he woke up that morning. 

“We’ve divided four categories that we feel comfortable turning over to other people-food, flowers, music, and seating. Mrs. Santos has already said she would like to pick out the music, which leaves the other three for you to choose from.” 

The three women looked over the list. 

“Well,” Abbey immediately said, “I think seating is a probably a good area for me, since I know which Congressmen and diplomats to seat together-and which to seat on opposite sides of the ballroom.” 

Josh grinned. 

“I’d like to do food, if that’s alright.”, Rachel asked. 

“Of course it’s alright, Mom.”, Josh agreed. 

“Then I guess that leaves me with flowers!”, Roberta said brightly. 

All the women started excitedly chatting. Then Abbey spoke up. “I just wanted to say I think this is a really good compromise for all of us.” 

“I’m glad to hear you say that, Dr. Bartlet.”, Donna said, a genuine smile on her face for the first time since the day before. 

....

That evening, three much happier women left to fly to their respective homes. 

“What did I tell you?” Josh said, as he wrapped his arm around Donna’s shoulders. “In and out in 36 hours.”

“You do have good ideas, Josh.”, Donna said, grinning. 

“Oh, yeah?”, Josh replied. “Well, let’s go home and I’ll show you what good ideas I have.”

They chuckled, thinking about what lay ahead for their evening as they made their way to the car.


	7. Wedding Fever

CHAPTER 7: Wedding Fever (April/May 2007)

It had been a month since the “Battle of the Mothers”, as Josh had so eloquently put it later, and with their new plan in place, and everyone involved in the wedding off in their own separate corners, the planning process was going smoothly. 

There were still, of course, at least 5 phone calls a week from either Palm Beach, Madison, or Manchester regarding some aspect of the wedding. On a Saturday Josh and Donna both had off, Josh walked into the living room to hear Donna on the phone saying, “Mom, I already told you, I want to pick out the flowers for my bouquet myself!” She listened for a moment and then replied, “All right, you can pick out the bridesmaids’ bouquets, but they have to at least be similar to mine.” Upon noticing Josh, she said a quick goodbye to her mother and hung up. 

“Ready to go?”, Josh said, his eyes sparkling. 

Donna smiled as she remembered where they were going. “Yeah, just let me get my coat.”, she said. 

There were a few aspects of the wedding that they had decided to leave up to them and them alone. They headed up to Macy’s in downtown DC to complete part 1: their wedding rings. Although Josh had gone to a local jeweller to pick out Donna’s engagement ring, he thought they would have a bigger selection at a retailer. 

The saleswoman was all smiles when the couple arrived at the ring counter. “And what can I get for you fine folks today?” 

“We’re looking for wedding rings.”, Josh replied, grinning. 

“Oh, congratulations! When’s the big day?”

“June 16.”, Donna spoke up. 

“And what are you looking for in rings?”, the saleswoman asked. 

“Just a simple gold band for me,” Josh decided, “But I want to pick out something nice for my fiancée.”

Donna interrupted, “Josh, my engagement ring was plenty. I don’t need an expensive wedding ring on top of it.” 

But the saleswoman was already pulling out the wedding rings for them to look at. Josh quickly found a gold band he liked. But Donna kept pouring over the different sets, trying to find the one that was the least expensive. Finally, she saw a ring that looked promising: a silver band with tiny diamonds inside. “How much is this one?”, she asked. 

“About $200.”, the saleswoman replied. ‘And that’s probably the cheapest you can get a ring like this.” 

“We’ll take it.”, Josh quickly jumped in. 

Donna looked at him. “Josh-” 

“Donna, so far this is the only ring you’ve really shown interest in. And I don’t think it should be about the money-it should be about the ring that you’ll be proud to wear 40 years from now and think about how much we love each other.” 

Donna thought about it. Josh was right, it was the only ring she was interested in so far, and it was about what the ring would represent that was really important.

Donna looked up. “I’ll take it.” 

The saleswoman smiled. “Wonderful!” 

They had their rings.

…

In the meantime, the Santos Administration had been hit with wedding fever. Nearly every time Donna walked into the West Wing, somebody asked something related to the wedding. 

“Donna, have you picked your bridesmaids?” 

“Donna, do you guys need help decorating the ballroom?” 

“Donna, are you guys going to write a press release or should we?” 

That last question came from Bram as Donna was walking to Josh’s office one day for Senior Staff. 

“We weren’t planning on it.”, Donna said. “We really want this to be kind of private-no press.” 

“But this is a White House event.”, Bram pointed out. “Not only that, but DC columnists-whether or not you realize it-have been following your story since the inauguration. You two are both huge political figures in the administration.” 

Donna paused. “We’ll think about it.”, she finally said. “Probably a press release, but you can tell the press pool that if they want exclusives from inside the wedding, they can forget it.” 

Then she changed the subject. “Has Josh talked to you about the wedding at all?” 

Bram broke into a grin. “You mean, about being a groomsman? You bet he has, and I am so psyched!” Donna smiled. Even though Bram was far from Josh’s favorite person, he didn’t want the Santos administration to feel entirely left out of the wedding, and the Senior Staff was mostly female-dominated. Aside from Bram, however, he had his other groomsmen nailed down: Sam as best man, the President, and Charlie. 

Donna was another story. While she had already asked Annabeth and CJ, both of whom had enthusiastically agreed, there was a wildcard spot that she could fill with virtually anybody. After thinking it over, suddenly the perfect name came to her: Ainsley Hayes. Of course, how had she not thought of her sooner? As Sam’s fiancee, she would be perfect to include in the wedding. After Senior Staff was over and she had gotten back to her office, she picked up the phone and dialed the number for the White House Counsel’s office.

“Ainsley Hayes’ office, please.”, Donna said as businesslike as she could. 

“Ainsley Hayes.”, sounded a familiar Southern voice a couple of minutes later. 

“Ainsley? It’s Donna.” 

“Donna, hey! How are you? I’m sorry I’ve been out of touch with the wedding and everything, but things have just been so busy over here.” 

“It’s alright. I actually had a question for you about the wedding.” 

“Yeah?” 

“Would you be one of my bridesmaids?” 

There was silence, then a shriek. “Donna, are you serious? Of course I will!” 

Donna grinned. “I’m so glad! Listen, I should get back to work, but I’ll be in touch about dress fittings and stuff like that.” 

“Of course! ‘Bye Donna!” 

“Bye, Ainsley!” She hung up the phone and breathed a sigh of relief. 

Helen Santos had also been hit with wedding fever. Each time they were on Air Force One, which had been a lot over the last few months, after official conversations were finished, the talk inevitably turned to, “So, I was thinking about this piece for the wedding”, or “I was looking at this color for the bridesmaids’ dresses”, and they would be off and running on wedding talk. 

On one particular trip as they were returning from a school in New York as part of Helen’s education initiative, they started talking about the wedding party. 

“I definitely want Miranda to be a flower girl, as long as she doesn’t mind sharing the title with Molly Ziegler.”, Donna was saying. “But I wonder about Peter.” 

“What about him?”, Helen asked. 

“Well, he’s too old to be a ring bearer, and he’s too young to be a groomsman. But I really want him to have a part in the wedding, especially when the rest of his family is involved.” 

Helen thought for a moment. Suddenly, she looked up. 

“I have an idea. I know we had decided on having a violin and piano duet to play the wedding music.” 

With Josh’s PTSD no longer noticeable but still likely to flare up, Donna had quickly nixed the idea of a string quartet, but had agreed on a single violin and piano. It was understated and pretty, while still being sensitive to Josh’s feelings. 

“Anyway,” Helen continued. “How would you feel about Peter playing piano at the wedding? He’s been playing since he was 5, I think he could play any of the music you give him.” 

“That could work.”, Donna said. The more she thought about it, the more she thought it was the perfect role for him. And she was even more excited when she got enthusiastic responses from both kids that night, who were beyond thrilled to be included. 

…

Even with the wedding party settled, there was still the matter of Donna’s wedding dress. The White House seamstress had offered to make the bridesmaids and flower girl dresses, but Donna really wanted to pick out her own wedding dress. 

One Saturday in May, Donna asked Annabeth, Ainsley, and Helen to come with her to the bridal shop. The Secret Service had struck a deal with the store to close for an hour so that Helen could come shopping with them. 

As Donna shopped, she found that shopping for a wedding dress was harder than it looked. Every dress she tried on either didn’t look right or was too liberal for her taste. She wanted something traditional, but most importantly something simple. 

As soon as she saw it, she knew this was the dress she was going to carry out of the store. It was a floor-length white satin dress with little pearls down the side, but without a train. It had a scoop neck with lace in the middle, with long white sleeves. To top it off, it came with a lace veil that fell down her back in tresses. 

When she came out of the changing room wearing the dress, no one could contain their enthusiasm. 

“Oh, Donna, that’s beautiful!”, Helen gushed. 

“It’s perfect!”, Ainsley said. 

“Absolutely gorgeous!”, Annabeth agreed. 

The salesman came over. “Well, what do you think, ma’am?” 

“I think I’ll buy it!”, Donna said with a smile that turned into a full-watt grin. She made arrangements to have it delivered to her office so that Josh had no chance of seeing it beforehand. 

As they left that day in the Secret Service car, Donna felt a sense of contentment. The last piece of the wedding puzzle had fallen into place. Now all she had to do was wait until June. And that was harder than it looked.


	8. The Rehearsal Dinner (June 15, 2007)

CHAPTER 8: The Rehearsal Dinner (June 15, 2007)

Days turned into weeks and weeks to months and suddenly it was the Friday before the wedding. 

Bram was all smiles as he entered the pressroom that morning. He had finally gotten Josh and Donna to agree to a press release, as the wedding would be a White House event, albeit a private event. He had also coordinated through the press office two magazine/newspaper interviews for after the honeymoon, in exchange for the press agreeing to lay off on the wedding day. 

“Okay, everyone, listen up! I have a press release to read from Chief of Staff Josh Lyman, then I’ll take brief-and I mean brief-questions. 

POTUS Chief of Staff Joshua Lyman and FLOTUS Chief of Staff Donna Moss are to be married this Saturday here at the White House. The wedding will be in the East Ballroom, and the couple are expecting approximately 275 guests, 75 of which will include diplomats such as our UN ambassadors and the UK Prime Minister. The ceremony will take place at 3pm, and will be performed by former President Bartlet. The First Family are members of the wedding party. A private reception will follow the ceremony at The Capitol Room. Mr. Lyman and Ms. Moss would like to convey their express wishes that this be a private affair for themselves and their family and friends. Press will not be permitted at the ceremony or the reception. In exchange, PEOPLE and The Washington Post will both get exclusives from the new Mr. and Mrs. Lyman after the honeymoon.” 

As Bram finished reading, he heard a few well-placed groans, mainly when he announced who would have the wedding exclusives. 

“Any questions?”, he asked. “Samantha?” 

“Bram, isn’t it usually White House policy that you do not comment on the personal lives of staffers?” 

“Yes, but as this is an official, albeit private, event of the White House, the couple wanted a press release for the specific reason of making it perfectly clear that this private event will be just that-private. Justin?” 

“What roles will the First Family have in the wedding?”

“President Santos will serve as a groomsman, the First Lady will be Donna Moss’ matron of honor, Miranda Santos is one of the flower girls, and I believe Peter Santos is playing piano. Melanie?” 

“Wouldn’t serving as her Chief of Staff’s matron of honor serve as a conflict of interest to the First Lady?” 

“Not in this case. Helen Santos has always seen her Chief of Staff as more than just her second-in-command, and is thrilled to be playing this special role in her wedding. Now, if there are no other wedding questions, I believe we have more important news to get to.” 

…

That afternoon, Donna was working hard at her desk in an attempt to get it cleared off before the wedding. The last thing she wanted was a pile of paperwork when she came back Thursday morning. 

There was a knock at her door. 

“Come in!” she called out. 

Her assistant, Ryan, poked his head in. “Ms. Moss, you told me to let you know when it was 3:00.” 

Donna checked her watch. “Yes, thank you. I’m meeting Josh and then we’re going to pick up our parents at the airport.” 

Ryan nodded. “Okay. Well, I guess if there’s nothing else, I will see you at the wedding tomorrow.” 

Donna had made sure to invite all the East Wing Staff to the wedding. Ryan had tried to refuse the invitation, but she insisted. Josh had always treated her as more than an assistant through the years, and now she was returning the favor.

Now she smiled. “I’m so glad you’re coming. Are you bringing anyone?” 

“Actually, I told Carolina that since she didn’t have a date either, we could go together.” Ryan replied, referring to Donna’s Deputy Chief of Staff. 

“That was nice of you.” Donna said. 

“Yeah.”, Ryan tried to hide the slight redness on his face. He had actually had a secret crush on Carolina for the last six months. “Well, you better get going.”

“Yeah, I really should. Thanks, Ryan!” Donna shut down her computer and grabbed her coat from her desk. She poked her head into the First Lady’s office. “Mrs. Santos, I’m leaving to go get our parents from the airport. If there’s nothing else, I’ll see you at the rehearsal.”

Helen waved her off. “Go! I’ll see you tonight.” 

Donna turned to leave. “Donna, wait a second.” 

She turned around. “Yes, Mrs. Santos?” 

“24 hours from now, you’ll be Mrs. Lyman. Are you ready?” Helen was grinning. 

She smiled. “Yeah, I am.” She’d been ready for the last six months. 

…

“People..” 

Everyone was in the East Ballroom, talking excitedly at once. CJ, Rachel, Charlie, and the Bartlets had flown in from various locations around the country. The kids, particularly the Ziegler twins, were cranky because they hadn’t eaten yet and their routines had been thrown off. Jed glanced at his watch. 5:30. The rehearsal was already a half an hour behind. 

“People..”, he tried again. 

No one heard him. 

Finally, Jed let out a loud whistle and yelled, “PEOPLE!” 

Everyone stopped talking and turned to face Jed. 

“That’s better. Now, we’re already behind schedule for the evening, but if we move quickly through this, we can catch up. I’m going to go ahead and turn this over to Abbey, the wedding coordinator.” 

Abbey stepped forward. “Hi, everyone! So, the plan for tomorrow, in brief: 10:30, the ladies are meeting at the White House salon to have their hair done. Following that, at 12:30, there will be a luncheon at Blair House for all those participating in the wedding and their families. That is separate from tonight’s rehearsal dinner. Then at 1:30, the bridal party will leave for the White House to start getting ready, and then at 3:00 is the wedding. Any questions?” 

Everyone shook their heads. 

“Now, is everyone here?”

All the wedding party members, including the musicians, raised their hands. 

“Everyone except for my parents.”, Donna volunteered. The couple had learned upon arriving at the airport that due to a rainstorm in Wisconsin, the Mosses’ flight had been delayed. There was no guarantee they would make the rehearsal dinner, much less the rehearsal itself. 

“Well, in the meantime, Sam, can you maybe stand in for Donna’s father so that we can practice the processional?”

“That won’t be necessary.”, said a voice from the door. 

Everyone turned around to see Donna’s parents making their way into the ballroom. 

Donna’s face lit up. “Dad!”

She hurried to her parents and threw her arms around her father, then her mother. 

Josh could see them making their way towards him. Josh was nervous. He had only met Donna’s father once, in passing when Donna’s parents came for Thanksgiving one year before they were together, and even then it was in his capacity as her boss, not as her fiancé. 

“Dad,” Donna said, “this is Josh, my fiance. Josh, this is my dad, Daniel.” 

Josh stuck his hand out, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.”

Daniel accepted his hand with a smile. “You as well, son.” 

Abbey smiled. “Well, now that everyone’s here, let’s get started. Peter, Annie, we’ll skip the prelude for now and go right into the processional music. Now, let’s all line up outside and do the full processional like we’ll do tomorrow.” 

…

The rest of the rehearsal went entirely as planned. After running through the ceremony a couple of times, everyone was confident they knew exactly what to do. 

About half an hour after the rehearsal had concluded, the East Room was full for the rehearsal dinner. Josh and Donna had pushed for an informal atmosphere, so instead of one long table, there were smaller tables scattered throughout the room. Andy had taken Huck and Molly home, as they were tired and cranky and she wanted them to have a good night’s sleep before the chaos of the next day. But, aside from the absence of the Zieglers, everyone in the wedding party and the Senior Staff was there. 

Everyone was chatting and mingling while enjoying the delicious spread that Rachel had made, and Josh thought it would be a good time to make a speech. 

“Excuse me, everyone!” Josh stood up and clinked his glass. “I figured since tomorrow is going to be about other people showering us with accolades, that tonight would be my one chance to make a speech.” 

Everyone looked up at Josh, even Abbey, who was still on the phone trying to coordinate details. 

“Donna and I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all for coming out tonight. This is shaping up to be the most important and memorable weekend of our entire lives, and you all are helping to make it that way. 

I wanted to mention just a few people-my mom, for putting together this amazing meal.” 

Everyone clapped for Rachel, who waved. 

“Our amazing wedding party, who have done more than enough in helping us get this wedding together in four months.” 

There were cheers and applause abound for the groomsmen and bridesmaids. 

“Last, but not least, I would like to thank those who could not be here tonight, but who always knew that we would it make someday-my father, Noah, and our former boss, Leo McGarry.” 

There was silence. Then CJ lifted her glass and said, “To Leo.” 

“To Leo.” everyone said, lifting their glasses in solidarity. 

“That’s it from me. Enjoy the rest of the party.” Josh said. 

As Josh went to get another drink, Daniel materialized beside him. “Josh, excellent speech.” 

“Thank you, sir.” Josh said. 

“Now, I just wanted a few words with you. As you know, Donna is my only daughter, and I feel protective of her. So, I’m going to ask you something: Do you love my daughter?” 

“Very much, sir.”, Josh said. 

“Would you throw yourself in front of a moving vehicle for her?”

“Yes, I would.”

“Good.” Daniel said. “Then that’s all I need to know. But you need to know this. If you ever do anything to hurt my daughter, I will end you. Do we understand each other?”

Josh nodded warily. “Yes, I think we do.” 

Daniel nodded sagely, then walked off. Donna wandered up. “Okay, what did my dad say to you?” 

Josh smiled to himself. “Just normal father of the bride stuff.”


	9. Somebody's Getting Married Today!

CHAPTER 9: Somebody’s Getting Married Today! (Morning of June 16, 2007)

“Somebody get some flowers! Somebody get a ring!  
Somebody get a chapel and a choir to sing!  
Somebody get an organ to play,   
Cause somebody's getting married today!”  
-”Somebody’s Getting Married”, The Muppets Take Manhattan 

Donna woke up slowly. She felt around for Josh in the bed, but he wasn’t there. Then she remembered-he had stayed at Sam’s the night before so he wouldn’t see her before the wedding. 

The wedding! 

Donna sat up. She was really getting married today! In just 6 hours she would be married to the love of her life. 

She got out of bed and jumped in the shower. About 20 minutes later, she came out of the bedroom wearing the “pre-wedding” outfit she had picked out: a rose-colored blouse with black pants-comfortable enough to be able to walk around in, but formal enough for the pre-wedding lunch. 

“Good morning, Mom.”, she greeted Roberta, who was standing at the stove. 

Roberta turned around. “There she is! Today’s the big day!” 

Donna smiled as her mom embraced her. 

“Now,” Roberta said. “I know we’re having a big lunch later, but I thought you should eat something before you run off to the hair salon.” 

“Mom, I know this is going to sound crazy, but I think I’m too nervous to eat.” Donna admitted. 

“I suspected that, but you have to eat something,'' Roberta said firmly, putting a plate of eggs and yogurt in front of her. “Just a little. It wouldn’t do you any good to faint on your wedding day.” 

Donna sighed. She knew her mom was right. As soon as she ate enough to please her mother, she ran to her room to grab what she needed for the day, which wasn’t much. 

“Donna?”, Roberta called. 

“Yeah, Mom?”, she said. 

“Come sit by me for a minute.” Donna complied. 

Roberta opened her purse and took out an oblong velvet case. “I was going to give this to you later, but I thought maybe you’d might like to wear it now. When your father and I were getting married, we couldn’t afford much, so he didn’t get me an engagement ring. But, on the night before our wedding, he gave me this and said, ‘I know I couldn’t afford a ring, but maybe a bracelet will do.’ I figured this could be your ‘something blue’.” 

Donna opened up the case. Inside was a delicate topaz bracelet with a gold string that shimmered in the June sunlight streaming through the window. “Oh, Mom.” she breathed out. “It’s gorgeous!” She looked at her mother and threw her arms around her. 

“Would you like me to help you put it on?”, Roberta asked softly after they had pulled apart. 

Donna nodded, too overcome with emotion to speak. Roberta fastened the gold chain on her wrist so that the jewel rested on the backside of her arm. 

“I-I can’t thank you enough,'' Donna said. 

“What are mothers for?”, Roberta said with a smile, touching her daughter’s cheek. “I love you, Donna.” 

“I love you too, Mom.” 

…

The rest of the morning went relatively smoothly. Donna met Helen and the other bridesmaids at the White House hair salon to have their hair and nails done. They had all decided on similar styles for their hair: pinned up and back. The flower girls’ hair would be less complicated: down with a soft curl to it. Andy kept calling, stressing about what to do with Molly’s hair, until Donna sat down with the phone and talked Andy through the hairstyling process. 

As they sat in the chairs in the salon, all the women talked excitedly, and they all took turns admiring Donna’s bracelet. As Donna’s hair was finished, Helen shyly approached. 

“I know people usually wait until right before the wedding to give the bride the once-over on tradition, but I have something I wanted to give you now so it could go in your hair.” 

Donna smiled softly. “Of course, Helen, what is it?” 

Helen pressed a hummingbird hairpin into Donna’s hand. “This is from my own collection. When I saw your dress, I thought it would look nice in your hair, and it fits right under the veil.”

“Helen, this is beautiful! Thank you!”, Donna exclaimed, reaching up to hug her. She gave it to the hairdresser, who pinned it in her hair in such a way that it would be visible through the veil. 

After their hair and nails were set, they were ushered into cars for the pre-wedding luncheon at Blair House that Jed and Abbey were hosting. To keep up with tradition, Josh decided he would take his mother out to lunch to spend some time with her. 

The lunch itself was delicious. Abbey had had it catered by the local deli. When everyone arrived, she announced, “Everyone is free to help themselves! Donna, be sure you eat something!” 

Donna inwardly rolled her eyes. Abbey sounded just like her mother. Then Donna realized their concerns were not unfounded: with all the mingling and dancing they would be doing at the reception, there would be time for only a bite of dinner. She got a pastrami sandwich and a spoonful of macaroni and cheese, and sat down at the end of the table near CJ and Danny. 

She ate, but mostly watched people as they had lighthearted conversations. President Bartlet and his daughter Ellie were engaged with President Santos in some sort of lively debate about healthcare. Helen and Abbey were chatting as Abbey bounced Ellie’s 6 month old daughter Melody on her lap. CJ was espousing to Bram the importance of handling an internal PR event before it became an issue. 

Donna started laughing as CJ and Danny regaled Bram and Annabeth with Josh’s ‘secret plan to fight inflation” gaffe in the pressroom. Yep, that had not been Josh’s proudest moment in the White House, but it sure was funny in hindsight. 

At exactly 1:30, Abbey stood up and clapped her hands. “All right! Bridal party, cars are waiting to take you back to the White House. Thank you all for coming!” 

Donna jumped up from her seat and followed her bridesmaids out to the car. One more hour, she thought. 

…

Once they arrived back at the White House, Donna and the bridal party were ushered into one of the many bedrooms complete with bathroom for people to get ready. It was a crowded suite: Donna, Helen, Annabeth, Ainsley, CJ, Roberta, Andy, Molly Ziegler, and Miranda Santos-all who were trying to get ready for the wedding at the same time-but without the dresses. 

Donna had suddenly remembered that she had left all the dresses that were finished downstairs in her office. Just as Annabeth was about to make a dash to the office, there was a knock at the door. Donna opened it to reveal Rachel Lyman, who had her arms full of garment bags.

“Could somebody help me here?”, Rachel asked. 

All the women rushed to get the bags and lay them out on the bed. 

“Joshua knew you gals hadn’t had time to grab everything, so he told me to grab the dresses on the way here. He had an extra key to your office.” Rachel explained. 

“Thanks, Rachel!”, Donna said, relieved. 

“Well, what are we waiting for?”, Helen said excitedly. “Let’s start getting ready! There’s labels on the hangers, so everyone grab your dresses and let’s go for it!” 

Donna was grateful the seamstress had had the foresight to label the dresses according to whom they were made for. 

To save the girls from having to wait around, Andy and Helen got them dressed first and sent them next door to watch TV. While the bridesmaids changed discreetly in the larger room, Donna wanted to get dressed separate from everyone else, so she could fix anything that needed fixing. She stepped into her wedding dress, slipped on her white pumps, made sure the hairpin Helen had given was still secure, and she was ready for action. 

“Mom?”, she called out. “Can you come help me with the veil?” 

Roberta stepped through the door. She took a second to take her daughter in, as it was the first time she had seen the dress. “Oh, Donna!”, she sighed. “You look absolutely radiant!” 

Donna flushed pink. “Thanks, Mom.” 

Roberta helped her daughter zip up the back of the dress, then reached for the long lace veil on the counter of the bathroom. She straightened it out and helped Donna fit it on her head. “Angelic.” she whispered. 

She opened the bathroom door. As Donna stepped out, there were gasps of awe and delight from her bridesmaids, especially CJ, who had not yet seen the dress. 

But perhaps the best comment of all came from Helen as she handed Donna her bouquet of red roses, “Josh Lyman is not going to know what hit him!” 

Then, Rachel presented her with a pair of garnet earrings that had been given to her by Josh’s father on their 25th anniversary-“something old”. As Donna was thanking her and putting them on, there was another knock at the door. 

“Who is it?”, Donna called. 

“It’s me, your father.” 

“Come on in, Dad.'' Donna said. 

Daniel Moss stepped inside, and like his wife before him, took in the radiant sight of his daughter in her wedding dress. “Might I have a few moments with the lovely bride?” he asked. 

“Of course, dear.”, Roberta said. Everyone else stepped out into the hallway to give Donna and her father a bit of privacy. 

“Donna, sweetheart, you look beautiful.” Daniel said. 

Donna smiled. “Thanks, Dad.” 

Daniel sat down and said, “You know, your mother and I never quite understood why you left Madison the way you did. Picking up and leaving everything you knew to work for some long-shot campaign in New Hampshire. At first, we thought you were running from that Brian fellow, who I never quite liked, by the way.” 

Donna giggled. If only her father knew the disdain that Josh had for the man he had privately nicknamed “Dr. Freeride”. 

“But,” Daniel said, “now your mother and I have both come to understand that perhaps you weren’t running away from something, but that you were running towards something. You have built your life into something I never could have imagined, something so much more fulfilling than we could’ve pictured. And I could not be more proud of you, my independent, intelligent, beautiful Donnatella.” 

By the time her dad finished his speech, Donna was crying. “I love you, Dad.” 

“I love you too, sweetheart.”, Daniel replied, looking misty-eyed himself. He stood up and offered Donna his arm. 

“Now, shall we get you married?” 

Donna responded by taking his arm and letting out a nearly inaudible response. 

“I’m ready.”


	10. Here Comes the Bride

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you for all the reviews of this story! I hope you enjoy the long-awaited wedding chapter-I put a lot of thought and effort into it. Just a couple logistical notes-the poem Sam reads is “My Love (A Red, Red Rose)” by Robert Burns, and Helen reads “Sonnet 116” by William Shakespeare. Please read and review!

CHAPTER 10: Here Comes the Bride 

At the same time, Josh was getting ready in an anteroom near the ballroom. He straightened his tie, noting that he wasn’t sure if it was on right because Donna always did it for him. 

“Sam?” he asked. “Can you help me with my tie?” 

Sam came over and chuckled. “Let me guess,” he said. “Donna always does it for you, right?” 

Josh nodded. Sam straightened Josh’s tie and pinned on the boutonniere on his right breast pocket. 

“Perfect.”, Sam assured him. 

Just then, there was a knock at the door, and Abbey entered. “Josh, it’s time to start.” she announced with a smile. 

Josh grinned, and followed Abbey out into the hall, trailed by his groomsmen with the exception of Charlie and Sam, who would be escorting their mothers. 

Josh stood outside the side door where he would enter, taking in the sanctuary before him. A beautiful garland of flowers had been hung on a wooden altar. Facing outward, he saw dozens of folding chairs in rows all the way to the back, with flowers everywhere. 

Josh took in the familiar faces seated around the ballroom. He saw the Senior Staff from the East and West Wing reading their programs and excitedly chatting. He saw a small cluster of ambassadors on the left side of the room, chatting quietly amongst themselves. He saw Toby in a conversation with Ed (or Larry, he could never remember which). The extended Bartlet family also took up a row: Josh could see Zoey in a conversation with her nephew, Liz’s son Gus. On the side where Donna’s parents would sit, he could make out a row of people that he could only assume was Donna’s extended family: her aunts and uncles and 5 of her 7 cousins. He caught the eye of Evelyn Baker Lang, who he had gotten elected to the Supreme Court, and waved. 

Finally, over on the far end of the room, he could see Peter Santos and Annie Westin, President Bartlet’s granddaughter, playing away on the piano and violin, respectively: they had chosen a more modern path for their prelude, so they were playing away on the final chorus of “We’ve Only Just Begun” by the Carpenters, a tune he remembered Abbey had told him was the first dance song for her and Jed. He thought that was perfect: old administration meets new administration. 

Suddenly, he could hear Abbey’s voice: “Ladies and gentlemen, if you’ll take your seats, the wedding will begin momentarily.” 

Everyone scrambled to take their seats. As soon as the last person was in their seat, Abbey cued Peter and Annie to start the song they had selected to accompany the Seating of the Mothers, “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” by Bach. 

As the song began, Jed, Josh, President Santos, and Bram made their way to the front of the altar. As soon as they were in place, the door opened, and Charlie led Rachel down the aisle. Josh smiled at his mom, who was wearing a purple blouse, quilted blazer, and matching skirt. 

When Rachel was in her seat and Charlie had taken his place at the end of the line, Sam escorted Roberta down the aisle. Josh had to admit Roberta was pretty, in a wine-colored dress with black buttons in the front and a simple string of pearls around her neck. 

Sam led Roberta to her seat in the first row, and as he took his place beside Josh, the music changed. 

As Pachelbel’s “Canon in D” began, the door opened, and the bridal party began to make their way down the aisle. 

Huck Ziegler, the ring-bearer, was first. Balancing the rings on the pillow, he half-walked, half-ran down the aisle before coming to a triumphant stop in front of Sam. 

Molly and Miranda came down the aisle next, scattering white rose petals as they walked, smiling widely. They were dressed in aquamarine colored dresses with light blue sashes and matching bows in their hair. 

As the girls reached the end of the aisle, CJ appeared at the other end. The bridesmaids’ dresses were gorgeous-sleeveless cobalt blue dresses. She carried in front of her a small bouquet of pink roses. As CJ reached the end of the aisle and moved to stand on the other side of Jed, she gave Josh a wink. 

Ainsley was next. As she glided down the aisle, Sam let out a low whistle. Ainsley was pretty, with her hair up and smiling beautifully. Josh stole a glance at his best man and grinned. 

After Ainsley came Annabeth, who smiled at Josh as she glided into place behind Ainsley and CJ. 

Finally, Helen, the matron of honor, came down the aisle. It had been Josh’s idea to distinguish the matron of honor’s dress from the other bridesmaids, so Helen’s dress was finished with gold floral accents. Helen was grinning, especially when she saw the bewildered look on her husband’s face. 

Josh was so lost in his thoughts that he barely noticed the doors had closed again. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Abbey give Peter one last cue. 

Peter nodded, and hands squarely on the piano, began to play the first familiar chords of Richard Wagner’s “Bridal Chorus” as everyone stood up. 

Annie joined in on the melody, as the doors opened. 

Then, Josh saw her, and was knocked backwards internally. 

A contented hush and collective sigh came over the audience as Donna appeared at the end of the aisle, on her father’s arm. 

She slowly glided down the aisle, and as she got closer, Josh couldn’t breathe. He had never seen her look more incredible. 

The pearls on her dress shone in the candlelight lighting the aisle on either side. Her veil flowed behind and in front of her in tresses. No one could speak, the dress was so lovely. 

As Donna neared the front, Josh was still caught in a trance. He barely noticed when her mother reached over to kiss her hand. Then, all at once, they were at the front, and Daniel lifted her veil and kissed her cheek before giving her hand to his. Then, he muttered, “Take care of our girl, Josh.”

“I plan to, sir.” Josh said. He took in all of her-the curls pinned to the top of her head, the sparkling garnet earrings, the blush on her cheeks that matched the red roses she carried, the way she smiled when he saw the way he was looking at her. 

“You look beautiful.” he whispered as the processional ended. 

“Be seated.” Jed announced. His body may have been weakened by MS over the years, but his voice still carried over a crowd. “Friends, family, honored guests, we have come here today to witness the miraculous union of Joshua Lyman and Donnatella Moss. I say ‘miraculous’ because there were those of us in this congregation who felt that it would take a miracle for you two to come to your senses.” Jed gave a knowing smile to them before continuing on. “I have had the pleasure of watching Josh and Donna’s relationship evolve over the last decade. They have gone from an unsure assistant and her manic boss (that got a few laughs, mainly from the Senior Staff), to a professional and personal duo that are bound by fate, circumstance, and true love. Marriage is a sacred institution, not to be taken lightly, but I can say for certain that marriage is a path in which both of these people are prepared to embark.” 

He paused, then said, “I am now going to turn this over to Sam Seaborn and Helen Santos, who will read for you now readings that the bride and groom have selected that match their definition of love.” 

Sam stepped up to the microphone. “Josh selected a poem by Robert Burns, a well-known Scottish poet. 

O my Luve's like a red, red rose  
That’s newly sprung in June;  
O my Luve's like the melodie  
That’s sweetly play'd in tune:

As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,  
So deep in luve am I:  
And I will luve thee still, my dear,  
Till a’ the seas gang dry:

Till a’ the seas gang dry, my dear,  
And the rocks melt wi’ the sun:  
I will luve thee still, my dear,  
While the sands o’ life shall run.

And fare thee weel, my only Luve  
And fare thee weel, a while!  
And I will come again, my Luve,  
Tho’ it were ten thousand miles.” 

Josh thought about the poem as the meaning of the words sunk in. He had contemplated the poem as soon as they hit upon using roses for the wedding. It was a beautiful poem that he felt described his love and longing for Donna. 

Helen was next up to the microphone. “To represent her love for Josh, Donna picked a sonnet by William Shakespeare. 

Let me not to the marriage of true minds  
Admit impediments. Love is not love  
Which alters when it alteration finds,  
Or bends with the remover to remove.  
O no, it is an ever-fixèd mark  
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;  
It is the star to every wand'ring bark,  
Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.  
Love’s not time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks  
Within his bending sickle’s compass come:  
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,  
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.  
If this be error and upon me proved,  
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.” 

Helen cleared her throat, and then walked gracefully back to her place. 

Jed spoke up after a few moments. “Josh and Donna have chosen to take traditional wedding vows, but before they do, they have each written a short declaration of their love for one another.” 

Josh went first. “Donna, there was a time where I thought I would never be married. I pictured myself climbing the ranks, one after another, and that would be all I ever needed in life. And then I met you. I’ve never met anyone like you. You’re so beautiful and bright, strong and caring. The day you agreed to marry me was the happiest day of my life. I know that for the rest of my life, I will never have to question your love for me, and that there is nothing that will ever tear us apart. You give me a purpose, and a reason for getting out of bed every day. You are my great love story, Donna, and I promise that our lives are only beginning.” 

Donna had tears welling up in her eyes, but she held it back. “Josh,” she said, her voice barely audible. “I knew from the day I met you that we were destined to be together. I didn’t know how, but I knew that fate would bring us together someday. I stand here today, knowing that our lives have taken us down a path that has made that dream a reality. Everyday, I discover something new about you that amazes me. Your strength and tenacity inspire me in ways that I never thought possible. I make to you today a promise to stand by you always and to never lose sight of why we fell in love in the first place. You are my soulmate, my best friend, my partner, my world. You make me happier than I ever thought I could be, and I promise to spend each day making you feel the same way.” 

There were sniffles as they finished, and there was not a dry eye in the house.

End of Part 1 

To be continued!


	11. Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Lyman

CHAPTER 11: Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Lyman 

After the personal vows were over, everyone kind of needed a minute. 

Jed cleared his throat, “And now, Josh and Donna will affirm their vows to one another. The rings, please.” 

Huck ran up with the pillow in one hand and the rings in the other, and plopped the rings triumphantly on Jed’s Bible. 

“Thank you, son.”Jed whispered. 

“You’re welcome, Mr. President!”, Huck said a little too loudly. The congregation broke into soft laughter, both because of the outburst and the use of Jed’s former title. Andy had obviously taught him well. 

“Now,” Jed announced. “Donna, take this ring and repeat after me. I, Donnatella..” 

“I, Donnatella..”, Donna repeated softly. 

“Take you, Joshua..”

“Take you, Joshua..” 

“To be my husband.” 

“To be my husband.” 

“To have and to hold from this day forward,” 

“To have and to hold from this day forward,” 

“To love and to cherish,” 

“To love and to cherish,” 

“In sickness and in health,” 

“In sickness and in health,” 

“As long we both shall live.” 

“As long as we both shall live.” Donna finished strongly, before slipping the gold band on Josh’s finger. 

Then Jed turned to Josh. “Josh, take this ring and repeat after me. I, Joshua...” 

“I, Joshua…” 

“Take you, Donnatella..”

“Take you, Donnatella...” 

“To be my wife.” 

“To be my wife.” 

“To have and to hold from this day forward,” 

“To have and to hold from this day forward,” 

“To love and to cherish,” 

“To love and to cherish,” 

“In sickness and in health,” 

“In sickness and in health,” 

“As long we both shall live.” 

“As long as we both shall live.” Josh said confidently, as he slipped the silver diamond ring on Donna’s finger. 

“Josh, Donna,” Jed stated, “you have affirmed your vows and declared your love for one another in front of these witnesses. It is because of this that, by the power vested in me, I now-finally-pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride.” 

He then added cheekily, “Go on, Josh, I know you’ve been waiting all day.” 

Josh laughed softly, then kissed Donna deeply, as cheers and applause rose up from the congregation. 

“Ladies and gentlemen,’ Jed announced over the din, the pride and emotion evident in his voice, “it is my great pleasure to introduce for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Lyman!” 

Everyone jumped on their feet and cheered long and loud as Josh and Donna faced the congregation. Through the applause, they could pick out whoops and hollering coming from the Senior Staff section and a few scattered cries of “Mazel tov!”. 

Peter and Annie started playing the recessional, “Ode to Joy”, as the couple made their way up the aisle. As they walked, arm in arm, they looked at each other lovingly. They had done it. They were finally married! 

… 

After the wedding party had filed out of the ballroom, they formed a receiving line out in front of the ballroom so that those who wouldn’t be at the reception would be able to congratulate the happy couple. They were only expecting 150 at the reception as opposed to the 275 guests at the wedding. 

The dignitaries made their way out first. Josh knew most of their names and greeted them politely, while Donna hung back and simply said, “Thank you.” to each congratulating remark.

“Mr. Lyman, lovely ceremony. I’m sure you and your wife will be very happy.”, said British Prime Minister Maureen Graty. 

“Thank you very much, Madame Prime Minister,'' said Josh. 

“Madame Prime Minister,'' Donna said, nodding in acknowledgement as the Prime Minister moved to shake Donna’s hand. 

Eventually, the dignitaries all moved forward through the line, and even Lord John Marbury, shockingly sober, offered a hearty congratulations to the “new Gerald” and his wife. Josh chuckled as he remembered Marbury and Leo’s contemptuous relationship. He would have to tell Donna about that one later. 

“Well, well, well!”, said a male voice from near Josh as he was shaking hands with Speaker Haffley. “So Josh Lyman finally went and got himself married!” Josh turned ever so slightly to find himself face to face with Joey Lucas. 

“Yeah, I did,'' he said. 

“I always knew you were after her.” she signed. 

“You-you did?”

“Yes, you idiot!”, Joey replied, this time using her voice. “Everyone could see that she was the only thing that kept you together.” 

“I guess so.”, Josh responded. “It’s -it’s great to see you, Joey.” 

“You, too.”, she said. 

With that, she moved on to greet Donna and the rest of the wedding party, and Josh was so lost in thought that he didn’t realize that his father’s old law partner was in front of him until the man literally snapped him out of his trance. 

Meanwhile, more familiar people began spilling out of the room. Several friends of Rachel’s that Josh had known from his childhood told Josh it was about time he gave his mother a daughter-in-law. Mallory, Leo’s daughter, gave them both huge hugs and told them they would have made her father proud that day. Her mother, Leo’s ex-wife, was a bit more quiet, but offered sincere congratulations. Nancy McNally offered them both best wishes for a long, happy marriage. Even Debbie Fiderer kissed Josh on the cheek, grabbed Donna’s hand and told her what a lucky woman she was to have a man like Josh by her side. 

Then, the families came out. 

“Donna!” called a middle-aged man who came striding towards her. 

“John!”, Donna said, smiling widely as he kissed her on the cheek. 

“So, my baby cousin finally got married.” John said, marveling at the sight of her in a wedding dress. 

Josh, in the meantime, was baffled. “So, this is your cousin?” 

Donna turned to him. “Sorry, honey. Josh, this is my eldest cousin John. John, my new husband.” 

John shook his hand warmly. “So you’re the man who stole my cousin’s heart.” 

Josh nodded. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I have to say, I haven’t met too much of Donna’s family yet.” 

“Is that so? Well, Donna, you’ll have to bring him out for Christmas this year! You actually have to someone to bring now.”

Donna smiled up at Josh. “Yeah, I will.” She and John had a brief conversation, in which John shared how his own small family was doing. As he left, Josh said, “So, how many years between you and him?” 

“About 14, give or take. God, I don’t think I’ve seen him since they all moved out to Oklahoma.” 

Josh reflected on the few members of Donna’s family he had met so far. It was becoming apparent that Donna was considered the odd one out of the family, getting out of small-town Wisconsin and her old life to make a brand-new start of it, although he didn’t think that bothered Donna one bit. 

He didn’t have much more time to think about it, however, as the Senior Staff piled out of the room, engulfing them in hugs and congratulations. Even Ronna got in on the celebration, revealing she had secretly bet Bram $100 they’d be married within the first 100 days. 

As soon as the receiving line was over, they were ushered back into the church for wedding portraits. The first ones were of the wedding party and of the bride and groom-official portraits that would be shared with press outlets on an exclusive basis. They were pleased, because Bram had stayed true to his word and kept all press away from the ceremony. 

Then, there was time for small group portraits. There was Josh with the groomsmen, Donna with the bridesmaids, one of just the kids; one with Josh, Donna, Sam, and Helen; one of Donna and Josh with both sets of parents, one with just Josh and his mom, and one with Donna and her parents. 

...

Not soon enough, it was time to leave the White House and get to the reception. The Secret Service had rented out the Capitol Room in downtown DC for the evening. It was a close, private location that would be easy to control unscreened guests-no one going to the reception was not at the wedding. In fact, the reception would be a much smaller crowd. 

Josh and Donna grinned at each other as the limousine pulled away towards the banquet hall. The wedding party had managed to get out a side door of the East Wing-there would be a traditional exit later from the reception. 

The wedding party arrived at the reception hall well after everyone else had arrived, for security purposes. As they filed out, the Secret Service made sure to clear the main lobby before letting anyone in. 

Everyone was just inside the double doors to the main room, mingling and gushing over the wedding. Friends caught up with old friends. Will Bailey and Toby caught Lou in a long-winded conversation about speechwriting. Kate Harper, having moved out to Oregon with Will, caught up with Nancy McNally, who had made the reception. For a crowd of 150, the small banquet room was crowded and energized waiting for the bride and groom’s arrival, as a DJ that Helen had vetted and hired played some party tunes in anticipation. 

Suddenly, the music changed. Natalie Cole’s “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)” blasted through the speakers. 

“Ladies and gentlemen,” the DJ announced in a rolling voice, “please welcome your wedding party! First up, your flower girls, Miranda Santos and Molly Ziegler, escorted by ring bearer Huck Ziegler!” The crowd “aww”d as Huck walked out, holding Molly and Miranda’s hands. 

“Starting off the bridesmaids, CJ Cregg and Charlie Young!” They were going in reverse order of the wedding processional. 

“Ainsley Hayes and Bram Howard!” 

“President Matt Santos and Annabeth Schott!” Trailed by Secret Service agents, the last pairing of bridesmaids and groomsmen made their way into the room. 

“Your Matron of Honor and Best Man, Helen Santos and Sam Seaborn!” 

The President hadn’t minded keeping his title for the wedding and the reception. He knew it was part of the protocol. But Helen had put her foot down when it came to announcing her by title at the reception. She made it clear to the White House protocol office that they could list her by title in the wedding program, but that at the reception, she was matron of honor first and foremost. 

“Finally, ladies and gentlemen,”, the DJ said, savoring the best for last, “everybody please welcome the newlyweds, Josh and Donna Lyman!” 

Everyone stood and cheered wildly as Josh and Donna made their way into the banquet room.

They had managed to get through the formalities of planning and executing the wedding with minimal headaches. Now, it was time to celebrate. 

A/N: To be continued...one last chapter!


	12. The First Day of The Rest of Our Lives

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Here’s the final chapter! I just wanted to say thank you to all of those who read, followed, favorited, and reviewed this story, and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

CHAPTER 12: The First Day of The Rest of Our Lives 

“We’re going to kick things off tonight with the bride and groom sharing their first dance as a married couple.” the DJ narrated. “For their first dance song, Josh and Donna have picked a song close to their hearts.” 

With that, Anne Murray’s “Could I Have This Dance” began playing as Josh led Donna out to the dance floor. 

I'll always remember,   
the song they were playing,  
The first time we danced and I knew

As we swayed to the music,  
and held to each other,  
I fell in love with you

They had picked the song because, eight months prior, it had been the first song they danced to as a couple in Hawaii. At a time when both were unsure of where their newfound relationship was headed, the song’s lyrics had a poignance to them that rang absolutely true. 

Could I have this dance   
for the rest of my life,  
Could you be my partner  
every night,  
when we're together  
it feels so right,   
Could I have this dance  
for the rest of my life? 

Josh spun Donna around the dance floor, holding her close as the music swelled. 

I'll always remember,   
that magic moment,  
When I held you close to me

As we move together,  
I knew forever,   
you're all I'll ever need

As they moved gracefully, together as one, Donna caught the eyes of many of the guests, who had tears in their eyes as they witnessed the magical love and transformation that had taken place. She thought back to that night in Hawaii, when they danced together for the first time, and the song’s lyrics hit her in a way that they hadn’t before. As long as they were together, she and Josh, they could conquer anything. 

Could I have this dance   
for the rest of my life,  
Could you be my partner  
every night,  
when we're together  
it feels so right,   
Could I have this dance  
for the rest of my life!!

Josh and Donna clung to one another as the final notes faded out. The crowd cheered and whistled. 

...

After the first dance, Josh and Donna were ushered to their seats at the long table, and the first course of dinner was served. 

Once everyone was eating, the traditional speeches began. First up was Sam. 

“Hi, everyone. As Best Man and former speechwriter for President Bartlet, I’m going to try my best here to make a good speech.” 

Josh laughed out loud as Jed tried unsuccessfully to hide a snicker, which earned him a smack from Abbey. Sam did have a way with words. 

“When I first met Josh, it was when he recruited me for a presidential campaign for a little-known governor named Josiah Bartlet. I thought Josh was crazy, but he told me it was on instructions from Leo McGarry. Now, Josh had known Leo for years, and I was familiar with his barracuda style as Secretary of Labor, so I figured if I could trust anyone to be right about “the real thing”, it was Leo. And, thank God I did, because I gained the best friend a guy could ever have.” 

Sam paused and gave Josh a smile, then continued, “However, Josh had nothing to do with the next addition to the Bartlet campaign. Straight out of Madison, Wisconsin came one of the prettiest girls I had seen on the campaign in awhile, and yet she latched herself onto Josh. Maybe his was the first office she found, or maybe she had a sixth sense to know that Josh needed her as much as she needed a job. Either way, Josh became almost a new person after Donna came onboard. And they’ve been together ever since.” 

“When Josh’s dad first met her, he couldn’t believe the change in his son. One night, he called up his old pal Leo and said, ‘Could you do me a favor and fire that assistant of my son’s so he can ask her out?’ Leo didn’t fire Donna, of course, but for the rest of his life, he would secretly root for the couple, enough for both himself and his old friend Noah Lyman.” 

Josh felt himself tearing up. He looked over and saw that Donna was already crying. He reached over and brushed away her tears. He never realized Leo and his dad had been conspiring to get him and Donna together. He was sure the two of them were staring down on them tonight, probably toasting them from heaven. 

“For the next ten years, we all tortured ourselves watching Josh and Donna pretend to ignore what was staring them in the face. Finally, after ten long years, two presidents, and three presidential campaigns, they have gotten it right. And I for one am proud to call them my friends. I’d like to ask you all now to raise your glasses and join me: To Josh and Donna: may this be the first day of the rest of your lives!” 

“To Josh and Donna!” everyone yelled, raising their glasses. 

… 

The rest of the speeches went quickly. Helen’s speech talked about how her life would look very different had Josh not knocked on their door with a proposal to change their lives, but that in spite of all the headaches being First Lady brought, she would be forever grateful that it brought Donna into her life. 

Daniel Moss’ speech was even shorter, containing a few humorous anecdotes of Donna’s early life and a wonderful description of her best qualities, but it concluded with a tearjerker: “I will forever be grateful to Josh Lyman for making my little girl the happiest I’ve ever seen her. Josh, welcome to the family, and may you and Donna be blessed to have a long and happy life together.” 

“Hear, hear!” a few people yelled as they raised their glasses. 

With that, the speeches were done, and the main course was served as the DJ announced the father-daughter dance. 

Donna joined her dad out on the dance floor, where they slow-danced to “Forever” by The Beach Boys. 

As they moved easily through the dance floor, Josh watched them with tears in his eyes. He could see the love Donna had for her dad, and realized the true meaning of the phrase “absence makes the heart grow fonder” was standing right in front of him. 

Then it was Josh and Rachel’s turn. For their song, they had picked “Sunrise, Sunset” from Fiddler on the Roof-an appropriate song, given their heritage, but it also described Rachel’s feelings seeing her only child getting married. 

Around Rachel’s neck, hidden under her jacket, Josh could see the silver locket that Noah gave to her for their wedding anniversary one year. After Joanie had died, she had cut out Joanie’s face from the last school picture she had, and had carefully placed it in the locket to wear on special occasions. That way, Joanie would always be with them. 

As Josh moved slowly with her, Rachel leaned over and whispered, “I think Joanie would be very happy for you tonight.” 

Josh grinned. “I think if she had ever met Donna, she would’ve been the first to lock us in a room together until we came to our senses.” he laughed softly. His face softened. “I miss her, Ma.”

“I know.” Rachel’s voice was full of sorrow. There was a reason that Joanie was almost never brought up, because of the painful memories it brought. But Josh was determined to keep his sister’s memory alive for his children. 

Now, though, he simply held his mother close and let her tears fall on him until they reached the end of the song. 

The dance floor was opened up, and everyone got into it. Helen had worked her magic with the reception playlist, including everything from crooning oldies music to fast paced pop hits. She had even thought to include a few traditional Jewish songs in the mix, to Rachel’s obvious delight. 

As one such song ended, Josh twirled Donna with a flourish. They then joined their friends at their table, where Helen was telling Annabeth a story from her own wedding. 

“So, Matt decided he was going to learn to ballroom dance so that he wouldn’t look like an idiot at his own wedding. Five weeks of lessons, but when he got me out on the dance floor, he kept stepping on my toes! I couldn’t tell what he felt worse about, stepping on my toes or wasting $200 on ballroom dance lessons!” 

Annabeth and Donna both cracked up. 

Suddenly, CJ materialized at Donna’s elbow and asked, “Can I talk to you?” Donna had barely nodded before CJ was pulling her off to the side. 

“CJ, what is it?”, Donna asked. 

“We were going to wait to tell people until after the wedding, but I couldn’t wait any longer!”, CJ said breathlessly. She held out her right hand. Donna gasped: adorning CJ’s finger was a silver engagement ring. 

“No way!”, Donna squealed, pulling CJ into a hug. “You and Danny? When?” 

“Last night, after the rehearsal dinner. He just dropped to one knee and did it right there in the hotel room.” 

Donna grinned broadly. “Listen, I have something to ask you,'' CJ said. Donna nodded. “Would you be my matron of honor?” 

Donna’s jaw dropped. “CJ, are you serious? I’d be honored!” She wrapped CJ up in another hug. 

…

The remainder of the reception went smoothly. Everyone cheered as Josh and Donna cut the cake. Then, wrists entwined, they fed each other pieces of the cake and, as Josh was proud to say later, got most of it in their mouths. Jed got up three times to make speeches, each time trying to make a statement about love and marriage, but instead going off on a tangent relating to some obscure trivia fact. 

As 9:00 came and went, most of the guests had made their leave. Only about 25 or so remained, so Josh and Donna thought it would be a good time to head out. They got the DJ to make an announcement that the bride and groom would be leaving in ten minutes. As everyone got up to head outside, Donna and Helen embraced each other. 

“I can’t thank you enough for being a part of this!”, Donna said. 

“Donna, the pleasure was all mine.” Helen said sincerely. She made Donna promise to come over for dinner in the Residence on Thursday so they could hear all about the honeymoon. 

Minus the First Family (for security purposes, they hung back in the hall), the whole crowd was waiting outside. As Josh and Donna came running out towards their getaway car, everyone cheered and showered them with rice. 

As they approached the car, Donna turned around and tossed her bouquet over her shoulder. There were shrieks as all the women in the crowd tried to catch it. An even louder shriek was heard as Zoey Bartlet caught the bouquet and held it triumphantly over her head. 

Josh tried not to snicker as he saw Jed’s pained expression. “Guess you’re next, Charlie.” Josh said cheekily, as he clapped his groomsmen on the shoulder. Charlie wore a bashful expression. 

“Yeah”, he said absentmindedly as he watched his girlfriend. “I guess I am.” 

Finally, they got in the SUV, which the Santos kids had decorated with a handmade “Just Married” sign. Once inside, Josh took Donna’s hand, and kissed her. For the first time that day, they were alone. 

“We did it.” Josh said, draping his arm across Donna’s shoulders. “I love you.” 

Donna smiled warmly at her new husband. “I love you, too.” she said sweetly before snuggling into his embrace. The SUV drove off towards the Watergate Hotel, where the couple would spend their wedding night before leaving for their Hawaiian honeymoon. 

Josh looked lovingly at his new wife, her head resting on his shoulder. Sam was right, he thought. This really is the first day of the rest of our lives. 

THE END


End file.
